Where Dreams Come True
by Veronica.On.The.Moon
Summary: Sirius and seven seperate OC's go through sorrows, encounters and experiences in this collection of seven unrelated one-shots based off of seven different Disney movies, including Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, Peter Pan and more.
1. Lady and the Tramp

**Hey, everyone! This is a series of one-shots based off of Disney movies. Each chapter will be a different story based off of a different movie. I chose seven of the movies, the ones I could fit best to a story, and each has a different character being my OC. All of the OC's are different, but each story is Sirius/OC in some sense.**

**-Veronica**

**Summary: When Sirius helps out a woman who is running from trouble, he finds out more about her life slowly, and thinks it's no way to live. After a beautiful night, what will he do to get her to stay with him?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Lady and the Tramp, Harry Potter or any Walt Disney movie!**

_Lady and the Tramp_

Sirius was with James when it happened. They were just walking down Diagon Alley on a Saturday; shopping for things they needed like more potion ingredients and things like that—at Lily's request. Being nine months pregnant and only two weeks from her due date limited what she could be exposed to and where she could go. It was difficult for her to Floo or Apparate, so she sent the boys on errands for her.

They had decided to get some ice cream, and got to sit outside on the veranda seats. They were just finishing up ice cream sundaes, and had in fact already paid. As they went back in the street to head back to the Leaky Cauldron, Sirius didn't notice as a woman ran toward them, and accidentally knocked into him.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I—"

The woman seemed frantic, looking behind her fearfully. Her mouth was moving a mile a minute, but honestly no sound was coming out.

"What's wrong, why can't you talk?" Sirius asked. They took her inside Florean Fortescue's to sit down, drawing some attention from the people inside. They managed to calm her down and wiped the tears from her frightened light blue eyes. Her sun-kissed brown hair was windswept from running and her peach skin was flushed.

"Just calm down, what happened?" James asked. The woman breathed deeply and started to talk, but still words didn't come out. She suddenly glanced, wide eyed, at something outside. She gasped, without sound, and whirled around to not be seen.

James and Sirius saw outside a woman with short grey hair. She was holding her wand with menacing grey eyes. Her robes were light purple and her body was plump and tall. She looked mean. She looked like someone to be scared of, like this poor girl so obviously was.

The woman passed after a moment and James told the girl she could turn back around. She did so, slowly.

"What's your name?" Sirius asked. She mouthed something, and frowned.

"She can't talk, you dolt." James said, procuring a quill and ink with his wand. He took a napkin and said, "Write your name on here."

_Lyla_.

"Lyla, what a lovely name. Now who was that woman?" Sirius asked.

_My evil stepmum_.

Sirius smiled and asked, "Why were you running?"

She only put three dots.

"And you can't speak at all?"

_She cast a silencing spell on me. It's very strong, but the counter curse is the same._

Sirius tried _Finite Incantatum_ a few times before it actually worked. She breathed out a sigh of relief and turned to him, "Thank you so much, umm… I didn't catch either of your names."

"Sirius Black," Sirius introduced himself. Lyla offered her hand, and he shook it, smiling.

"James Potter," James said, also shaking her hand.

"I'm Lyla Reynolds," she said. Her voice was soft, but not quiet. She sounded polite and proper. She even looked like a lady, as soon as she tucked her hair behind her ears and straightened her back. She smiled her very pink lips at them, revealing pristine white teeth. "I want to properly thank you both for your troubles. I probably would have gotten caught if it weren't for you both."

"Why was your stepmum after you?"

"Well my father is away, and he doesn't think I can take care of myself so he always has my stepmum keep a very watchful eye on me. I did something to upset her so she put a silencing charm on me and then I ran away."

"Do you not like your parents much?" Sirius asked.

Lyla shrugged, "My mum died when I was little, and since my dad remarried, they've treated me like I'm still a child. They don't trust me much."

"Well you seem very reformed and ladylike." James commented.

She was lost for words and only shrugged. "Well I'd like to buy you dinner or something, for your trouble."

"Oh, no, no." Sirius said, "If anything, I would love to take you out to dinner tonight. You seem very flustered still; I'd like to take things off your mind."

James resisted the urge to roll his eyes and instead said, "Sirius is a good man. He'll take care of you. Pads, I have to get back to Lily. It's almost supper, she'll be worried."

"Of course you do." Sirius said, handing him the two bags he had in his hands, "I'll see you later."

"It was nice to meet you, Lyla." James said.

"Likewise," she smiled, shaking his hand again.

James Apparated off and Sirius told Lyla, "He's got a pregnant wife at home, and we were running errands for her today."

"That's understandable," she nodded, "Would you like to get that dinner now?"

"Of course. I know just the place. It's down a ways away from Diagon Alley."

They got up and began to walk in the direction of The Leaky Cauldron.

"Is it in Muggle London?" she asked.

"Yes, and I think you'll love it," then he asked, "So you still live with your family?"

"While I'm going through Healer training, yes. I can't afford to be a full time student and get a flat too, since I have no money yet."

"Is it unbearable?"

"At times, absolutely. I'd love nothing more than to move out. They're overbearing and nasty sometimes… What about your parents?" she asked.

"My parents are evil…"

She laughed, "Like my stepmum."

Sirius smiled and nodded, "They are pureblood supremacists. They aren't Death Eaters, but they definitely condone what You-Know-Who thinks."

"My parents are liberal; they don't have much of a side."

"Well mine are all for the purification of the wizarding race, of the world. I got sorted into Gryffindor while they've all been Slytherins, and they've practically disowned me since. I ran away when I was sixteen and haven't seen them since."

"I'm so sorry… They seem awful."

Sirius nodded grimly, "They are. My entire family has been like that, except for the occasional good ones like me. But my family now, my family is my friends. James and his wife Lily, and our two good friends Peter and Remus. The entire Order of the Phoenix is like a family, have you heard of us?"

"Yes, your organization. I've wanted to join, but I can't really live my own life."

"You should set yourself free." He said, "Try to live on your own. Things will work out better for you."

"I would, but I have a money issue. I am a full time student and I don't have time to work, so I don't have money to pay for anything."

"Well I'm sure they would give you money for a flat."

She shook her head, "Like I said: they're overbearing. They are demanding and they want to render me helpless to myself for as long as possible."

They walked out of the Leaky Cauldron and into Muggle London. He walked them down the street and into a more crowded place. They were attracting a lot of attention, and everyone had stopped to look at the handsome, aristocratic wizard and the proper lady on his arm. It was England, but they looked like they were from a century earlier.

Sirius said, "I'm sure you have a friend who would let you stay at their home for free."

"I doubt it. No one lets you do anything for free anymore."

He nodded because he knew it was true. He wanted to offer his own house to her because she was in need, but she might think he was crazy since they had only known each other for about twenty minutes. If they got to know each other well over dinner, he might offer it to her then.

It was silent, so he changed the subject, "So what House were you in at Hogwarts?"

"Ravenclaw," she answered, "What year were you?"

"I graduated in '78. What about you?"

"'79." She said.

"I don't remember you much…"

"I was the commentator for Quidditch games," she stated, "Until my third year, your fourth, when I lost my voice terribly and they found someone better."

"Right, I remember you. You used to be so loud."

She smiled slightly, "I'm also the one who got hit with a Bludger in the last game I commentated on and that's when I lost my voice."

"Right, something with the vocal chords." He said, but he really wasn't sure. He was only guessing.

"No, actually. While I was recovering in the Hospital Wing, I caught some sort of mutated laryngitis disease and lost my voice," she said, and laughed. He joined along and drew odd stares from the London dwellers. "Are we almost there?"

"Almost," he nodded. They reached a rather welcoming alley to their right side. It wasn't deserted, which a few people milling about. They travelled down it and it soon became an enchanting sort of homey place.

The brick buildings were obviously flats and homes from the way the fire escapes were lined up and the clothes lines travelled from building to building, all with loads of laundry hanging to dry. Sirius led Lyla down until they reached different buildings. They weren't as high and their windows showed inside to things like clothing shops and restaurants.

"This is a good, comfortable neighborhood, and it's cute and old-fashioned." Sirius explained, "There are a lot of good restaurants here."

"Which are we going to eat at?" she asked.

He led her down the sidewalk and they reached a homey place called Tony's. The smells coming from inside were delicious. He walked her inside and smiled charmingly at the waitress in front, and she led them to a table. She was interrupted by the owner, though, Tony.

"Sirius!" he said, his Italian accent thick, "It's nice to see you here tonight!"

"It's nice to be here, Tony," Sirius responded.

"And who's this lovely lady?" Tony asked, kissing Lyla's hand.

Sirius told him, "This is Lyla, my beautiful date."

"She certainly is beautiful," he leaned in and said, "This one is a keeper!"

Sirius nodded and grinned.

"I'll get you a window seat!" Tony said, snatching the menus from the waitress. He led them to a table that had a perfect view of the rapidly darkening night sky. The crescent moon and all of the stars were clearly visible above the tall buildings. It was the best seat in the house, and all three of them knew it. "What looks good?"

"We'll have the spaghetti and meatballs, please, Tony."

"I'll get you that quickly. Anything for one of my best customers!" Tony smiled at them both and left.

"_This one_?" Lyla quoted him, smirking.

Sirius thought back on the words, and flustered, "Oh, umm, well… You know Tony. His English isn't so good!"

She giggled and they made small conversation until their food came. He asked Tony quietly if he could turn on some romantic music for them. Tony agreed for his good customer, and the band that was playing on the stage began to play a nice, slow song.

As the song progressed, they learned more about each other and their lives. When they were done eating, he ordered them desert of tiramisu. She wanted to pay half of the bill, but Sirius wouldn't let her pay, since he was treating her. That and he knew she had no money.

They took a walk after that. They walked through the neighborhood's streets, passing all the nice shops and homes. They walked with Lyla on Sirius's arm politely and he held her hand gently. It felt right with this girl next to him.

They walked into a park in the neighborhood. No children were out at the late hour and they were able to walk through the park without disruptions. They gazed at the beauty of the moon and sat on a bench together, not talking. They were just enjoying the silence of the night.

Lyla shivered and he leaned forward to take his jacket off. "Here," he said, handing her his leather jacket, "Wear this."

She accepted it gratefully and kissed him on the cheek. He turned his head though to look her in the eyes, and he kissed her lips gently.

"Sirius," she began, "Why don't we go back to your house?"

Sirius smiled and agreed, and the rest of the night was spent blissfully together. He at first thought she might not be so much of a lady to go home with someone on the first date, but then he figured that maybe she was just taking a chance, since she seemed so surprised with herself in the morning when the sun shining through the window woke them up.

Lyla sighed and opened her eyes. She turned her head to look at Sirius and grinned at him. He was still asleep, but when she shifted to curl into his side, he was jolted awake.

He smiled at her though, "Hello."

"Hi," she said softly. He pulled her close, though she resisted. "I really should be getting home. My stepmother is probably worried about me."

Sirius held her tighter, not wanting to let her go, "Don't you want to stay with me?"

"Of course I do, but I can't be here all morning," she answered, squirming in his arms.

"Well of course you can." Sirius told her, kissing the top of her head.

"I could, but I shouldn't."

"Why not?"

"Because I need to get home. My stepmum doesn't know where I'm at. The last time she saw me we were fighting and then she hasn't seen me since, she doesn't know where I am, she must be worried sick."

"You know, you could be living a whole different life out here. If you lived on your own, your life would be completely different. You wouldn't have to report back to anybody about where you're going. You could do what you want."

"Well I can't, Sirius, I've told you that." Lyla said, turning on her stomach to look at him.

"You could," he said, "Look at this. Look out the window. Look at the world out there."

She turned her head and looked out the window. It was just the dreary London cityscape. People were passing by in cars and on foot. Usually it was sort of sunny out, since it was July. But there was the occasional shower, like today, making everything gray and wet.

"Well you know my given circumstances. It would be difficult to live on my own."

"Look, Lyla, if you live on your own, you could honestly do anything. I highly encourage it. You can wake up when you want, come home whenever. You could wear and say whatever you please. You can do whatever, be whoever you want to be. You can live a good, free life. It'll be better than the one you're living now."

She looked at him skeptically and drew her head in to his real close. Their lips were almost touching. She asked, "Sirius, are you inviting me to move in with you?"

He didn't answer. He really wanted that, but he was afraid of what she'd say. "I am if you want. I really would like you to, I… like you a lot."

She smiled and gave him a long kiss. "That's a yes," she whispered.

He grinned widely and pulled her closer, "I'll take you home when you want… To collect your things…"


	2. The Lion King

**Summary: Sirius and Lydia were summer friends. When they were sixteen, Sirius ran away and left her all alone. She's carried bitter, lonely feelings for years now. When she joins the Order and sees him again, what will she do?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Lion King, Harry Potter or any Walt Disney movie!**

_The Lion King_

"Welcome, everyone, to the Order of the Phoenix meeting. First on our agenda is to introduce new members," was what Dumbledore began the meeting with, "We have a lovely new member, Lydia McCarter."

A woman stood up and smiled, "Hello, everybody."

"Lydia will be handling missions now instead of Adelaide. Adelaide moved up to handle new recruitments, so Lydia is taking her place. Anything you need to say, Lydia?"

She grinned widely, "Well it's nice to be here, and I hope to get to know you all very well in the future." She had an accent, Irish—Dublin.

Sirius, in the back row with James and Lily, furrowed his eyebrows, "I know her."

"Doesn't surprise me," Lily said, "You've probably shagged her."

James sighed and said, "What Lily means is that you know an awful lot of women, Padfoot."

Lily smiled and nodded, but Sirius shook his head, "No, I know her from something else. She looks so familiar, her accent…" James and Lily looked at him expectantly, and he snapped when he finally figured it out, "I grew up with Lydia!"

"You grew up with her?"

"Yeah! She lived on the same street as me!"

"What about her accent?" James questioned.

"I don't know where she ended up being all Irish. She sounded like that since I first met her."

"Why don't we know her?" Lily asked, "Didn't she go to Hogwarts?"

"Her parents sent her to Beauxbatons. I only knew her during the summer and those five years before Hogwarts. We hung out a lot. Then I… I ran away."

"You haven't seen her since then?"

"No… She looks exactly the same though. She hasn't changed from when we were seven years old, when we met."

Sirius gazed at her and smiled to himself. Her hair was the same. It was still the exact color of a lion's mane. While it used to be wavy and untamable though, and probably down to the small of her back, it was straight and sleek now, cut to her shoulders.

Her body had, of course, curved out a bit. She used to be tall and lanky with long legs, but now she was tall with curves and good-looking long legs. Her eyes, a warm, merry coffee brown color, were judging, per usual. She had always been like that, so arbitrating and critiquing.

She had always been so upfront and straight forward with him. She wasn't afraid to speak her mind to anyone. She was so outgoing, and exactly like her eyes, judging. She was mean with it, and it was a sad thing. He knew it used to make her sad in the oddest way.

"So you haven't even seen her since you were sixteen?" James asked.

Sirius nodded, "I'm glad to see her again… I… I've missed her." Lily raised her eyebrows at him, and Sirius shrugged, "I didn't realize it until now. She was a big part of my life growing up."

"Lastly," Dumbledore finished off the meeting, "You all have new missions and agendas. Go to Lydia for that. She'll be in the main office handing out rosters in a while."

Sirius then noticed that Lydia had vanished. He assumed she was in the main office of their Headquarters, getting rosters ready to hand out.

"Meeting dismissed."

Everyone filed out into the main office. Lydia immediately began to give out small papers with their mission information on it to the right people.

"Here you go," she said to the man in front of him—Fabian Prewett. She moved to Sirius and said, "Sirius Black… Here you go…"

"Lydia," he paused her before she went on to James.

"Yes?" she asked hurriedly.

"I… It's good to see you again. You remember me, don't you?"

Her smiled was sad, though her eyes surveyed him with anger, "Yes… And James Potter, here you are."

"What'd you get, mate?" James asked while Lydia moved on without another word. Sirius finally looked at the paper he was given.

"I'm going to Glasgow, next Monday."

"I'm heading to Cardiff this Friday… Two months," he said sadly. Sirius knew he hated to be away from Lily for that long.

"Mine's three…" Sirius said, "We're supposed to be catching four different Dark Wizards."

"I'm finding different hiding places."

James sighed and they walked off towards Lily, who was waiting anxiously for news. While they walked into the other room, they passed Benjy Fenwick, who had just joined the Order a few weeks ago. He was asking Lydia about his own mission—or lack thereof.

"Are you sure I don't have a mission?" Benjy asked disappointedly.

"I'm sure," Lydia nodded, "Sorry, Benjy."

"This isn't quite fair! I joined to help, I joined for the cause!"

They weren't able to hear the rest of the conversation once they reached Lily—and all of the other spouses, partners, friends and family members waiting to hear about their men's missions.

"What'd you get?" Lily asked them both.

"Two months in Cardiff." James told her.

"Oh…" she sighed, and a tear leaked down her cheek. James hugged her tightly and she asked, "When do you leave?"

"Friday… I'm so sorry, Lils."

"It's not your fault. You're defending us. You're helping. I… I should be used to this by now, but… It's just hard."

"I know, Lily…"

Sirius watched the scene with sad eyes, but turned when he felt somebody watching them. He caught Lydia's sad gaze, but she turned away immediately. However, he heard her speaking with someone after that, and listened intently.

"Benjy, do you have anybody at home?"

"No," he said, "I just joined a couple of weeks ago after the Death Eaters got to my parents. I joined to avenge them…"

"I… I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault. I just wish I had a mission. I'd love to do something proactive. You know, really _do_ something?"

"Yeah," Lydia said softly, "Hold on…"

Sirius watched as Lydia went to her desk and wrote something down very quickly. She looked around shiftily and then looked back to James and Lily, hugging now. After writing something more down, she walked over to them, right past Sirius and took the card out of James's hands.

"What?" James asked, bewildered as she ripped it up, "Do I have a different mission?"

She nodded and handed him a different slip of paper. Though she was unsmiling, Sirius noticed a glint in her eyes as Lily and James read the cards, and both of their faces lightened up.

"Thank you so much!" Lily thanked her, giving her a big hug. Lydia hugged back and nodded, then smiled at them. She put her finger to her lips, as in to keep it a secret, and then walked back to Benjy, giving him a different paper. Benjy's face lit up as well, and he hugged her ecstatically.

Once he broke away from her, Lydia walked quickly back to her desk and sat down. She began writing on a piece of parchment immediately, not stopping even when Sirius approached her.

"May I help you, Mr. Black?" she asked, not looking up.

"Lydia… What was that you just did?"

"I don't know what you're talking about…" she said in a monotone voice.

Sirius knew better than to trust her voice, "Lydia…"

"Yes?"

He didn't respond, but she didn't look up like he wanted her to. "Look at me, please," he requested.

"Why?" she asked, "I'm busy, Sirius…"

Sirius was sick of these games. He took her chin kindly, but firmly, and lifted it to look at him. Her eyes were happy, but they soon turned dark and upset, annoyed.

"Lydia…" he sighed.

"Why don't you sit down?" she motioned to the chair in front of her desk. Sirius sat in it and dragged it closer.

"How've you been?"

"Fine…"

"Why… Why are you being so cold with me?"

Lydia frowned, "I… Sirius, you left me all alone when we were sixteen."

"It was for the better, Lydia."

"Was it?"

"Yes!" he cried, but softly, "I… I couldn't stand them anymore, they drove me insane! It just got to be too much, you've got to understand."

"I understand," she nodded, and shrugged, "Trust me, I do. I get why you left and I know that you had to do it."

"Then why are you still mad?"

Lydia looked up at him sharply and glared at him, her eyes full of resentment, "Sirius, you didn't even say goodbye!"

"I… I'm sure I did."

"You didn't. We were talking outside one day and you were saying how you were sure you were going to run away… Then your mother called you in! Sirius, the day after that, I didn't see you, or the day after or any day after that! You just left me, and you didn't even say anything!"

"I… I meant to say goodbye…"

"Well you never did. You just left me, no farewells, nothing. After a few weeks of not seeing you, I figured you'd run away finally, and I was heartbroken. I knew I'd never see you again, Sirius, with us going to different schools."

"You're seeing me now."

"So? Sirius, it's been four years without you. I never got to get a full closure with you and me never… I just… The last time I saw you, you were filled with such resentment for your family and there was nothing I could do. Think of how that feels."

Sirius sighed, "Lydia, I'm so sorry. You know I didn't mean to."

She sighed, "I know."

"I'm sorry. How many times do I have to apologize before you forgive me? Because whether it is twice more or two million times more, I'll do it."

Lydia smiled weakly and sighed, "I forgive you… I could never stay mad at you."

"You never could before, still can't."

Lydia smiled, "Why don't you take me out to dinner tonight? Before you leave for that mission?"

He nodded, "Of course. You'll know everything about me now, huh? Where I'm at and everything."

"I wouldn't say everything… but most things."

Sirius laughed and kissed her cheek, then picked her hand up in his, "I'll pick you up at six, okay?"

She nodded, "Goodbye, Sirius."

He squeezed her hand and dropped it, "Not yet."


	3. Aladdin

**Summary:** **Sirius meets the exotic, royal Loretta one day at a market. At first he doesn't realize who exactly she is, but when the peaking event of the day happens, he sure will find out—and it'll be such a surprise.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Aladdin, Harry Potter or any Walt Disney movie!**

_Aladdin_

Sirius wandered through the market with a specific list given to him by Lily. It had been hard enough to find the open market that was a nearly hidden presence in Diagon Alley, but to find the things on the list was even harder. She had said the items were exotic, but what were _Fuchsia Pine Fruit_ and _Slivered Calf Wings_?

The stupid party was driving him crazy… Why couldn't she come to get these items herself?

_Oh yeah_, because she was already planning the entire party.

Lily was throwing a party for the entire Order. The event was the Order's tenth year anniversary, having started a year after Voldemort rose to power in 1970. It would be ten years that Saturday, June fourth, and Lily wanted to celebrate.

She had planned a big party for everyone at the Order. They were going to have it on Saturday at the headquarters in London, and every Order member was invited, including the ones in other places in Europe and overseas. She said it was going to be fun, and they would celebrate and dance a lot, with a lot of good food that she recruited Alice Longbottom, Marlene McKinnon and Dorcas Meadows, three of her friends from school, to help her with the cooking.

The food was to be fun and exotic, which required exotic ingredients. The ingredients were very specific and could only be found at this open market that was behind Diagon Alley. And Lily picked Sirius, who was not doing anything that day, to pick up the ingredients while she got the headquarters ready and James watched Harry, who was almost a year old.

He had never even heard of some of these things. _Faerie Needles_? _Orange-flavored Dragon Teeth_?

"This is ridiculous…" Sirius muttered. He hadn't even gotten half of the stuff on the list yet. His basket only had four items. "How does Lily even know of these things?"

He was looking at the list, trying to figure out what the next thing on the list was, when suddenly he collided with a woman. He dropped his things, but he quickly collected them and began to help the woman with hers, which scattered everywhere.

"I'm so sorry," he apologized, waving his wand to collect everything. He gave back her basket, which now had everything back in it, and they stood up.

"It's okay, I wasn't looking."

"Nor was I, so I'm at fault as well," he smiled at her. She smiled back. The woman was very short, more than a head shorter than he was. Her black hair was in a braid, and shone as if kissed by the moon. Her eyes, a greenish hazel color, were unreadable and her satiny alabaster skin was glowing. She had on a heavy cloak that hid her hair and shadowed her face, even in the middle of summer.

"Well I'll forgive you," she teased him, "If you forgive me."

Sirius nodded, "I absolutely do. Err… What's your name?"

"Loretta," she answered, "And yours?"

"Sirius Black."

"Oh," she said coyly, "You're a Black."

"Only by name," he said, "I barely like to associate myself with them that way." Loretta nodded in understanding, and Sirius glanced at her list, which was longer than his. "You're not close to being done shopping, are you?" he asked.

"Absolutely not," she laughed, "My sister sent me to get ingredients for a banquet."

"Our situations are similar then. My sister-in-law sent me to get food for a group dinner."

Loretta smiled, "Are you a first time shopper here?"

"Yes, I don't know how she even knows of this place…"

"Exactly what I was thinking. However, I have had firsthand experience with these ingredients, just in another country."

"Italy?" Sirius guessed from her slight accent and appearance.

"Yes," she nodded, "I… Umm, I just have gotten… Err… _Acquainted_ with these sorts of foods."

"Well I have not. Mind helping me out?" She nodded and he showed her an item. "Can you tell me where to find these, umm, Chinese Chomping Cabbage?"

"Oh, yes, I just got a bunch of them from that vender over there," she told him, pointing to the far end of the street, "And this Fluxweed Paste that's on your list… It's no longer available. I got the last pound." Sirius raised his eyebrow curiously. Loretta smiled at him and shrugged in an unfortunate way. "I've got to get going now, I must find… Frozen Ashwinder Eggs, dragon stomach, Chimera heart, several sorts of seafood and… crushed Billywigs… Ew…"

Sirius chuckled at her disgusted expression, "I wouldn't be surprised if somebody were trying to get some Dementor meat from this market."

"Do Dementors have meat?" Loretta asked curiously, "They shouldn't, I mean… They grow like fungus."

"If they do, I don't think anyone would be able to get it."

"Absolutely not," She shook her head, and laughed, "Well I'll be seeing you."

"Yeah… Umm, Loretta?" he asked as she walked away. She turned and raised her eyebrows. "Loretta, you live in Italy, right?"

"Yes, I do. I live off of the mainland, but I'm usually in Florence. I'm just visiting England."

"When are you leaving?"

Loretta shrugged, "Probably on Sunday. I'd like to stay for longer, though."

"Well I'd love to see you again," he said charmingly.

Loretta nodded and said, "I could owl you."

"Why don't you meet me in the ice cream shop in Diagon Alley tonight?"

She nodded and beamed, "Of course. I can probably escape the banquet. Is six okay?"

"Perfect," he nodded. Loretta smiled and walked away, but minutes later, he heard her arguing with a vendor.

"Look, sir, you put the market price as one galleon for each pound of fish, and I won't give you more than that!"

"Well then you can't have it! I raised my prices, now you give me twelve galleons or you can't have the fish! The Silver Ice Crab is becoming rarer and rarer lately and I can't afford the old prices!"

"I will not, that is such a rip-off!" Loretta argued.

"Take it or leave it!"

He heard Loretta sigh, "Here's two galleons, the price you put for the two pounds I'm taking."

"Thief!" he heard the vender cry, "Thief!"

The entire marketplace was alert now.

"_I'm_ a thief? _You're_ the one charging five galleons for one single pound of crab meat!" Sirius heard her shuffled and a clatter of coins on the table, "There's four. I will pay no more."

Loretta began to walk away again, but was grabbed by the vendor, "Either you give me the full payment, or you'll be punished!"

Sirius rushed to her side, "My dear cousin!" he cried, "I've been looking everywhere for you!"

"What?" she asked.

Sirius smiled at the vendor, "Thank you for finding her, it was worrying me! She's not entirely stable so I was afraid she'd left the market!"

Loretta huffed at him, and he just winked at her, telling her to play along. The vendor growled, "She was trying to steal fine crab meat. She wasn't giving me the full price."

"How much do you need, six more galleons?" he asked. The vendor nodded and he tossed six gold pieces to him. "Now come on, Lori. We must get home."

He Apparated out of the market with her on his arm and into the Leaky Cauldron. When they were on firm feet, she hit his chest. "Sirius, how dare you!"

"I was just trying to save you from him. Do you know what he could have done?"

"So you had to say I'm mental?"

"It was just the first thing I thought of," he shrugged sheepishly, "But now we're out of there."

"I still need a lot of things on my list."

"As do I… Maybe we could split that Fluxweed Paste since I did you a favor."

Loretta laughed and they sat at a table. "Sure, maybe. How many more things did you need?"

"Well don't worry about it… I could probably send Remus to get the rest anyways…" he said, more to himself than to Loretta, "He probably knows this stuff better."

"Well I didn't need many more things," Loretta told him, "Besides, I doubt my sister really needs Blood Berries anyways. If she does, the maids can get some later." Sirius smiled and ordered them two Firewhiskeys. "And you really didn't have to pay him with your own gold. I could have gotten out of it by myself."

"It was no problem. It's leprechaun gold anyways," he smirked.

She gasped in a fake scandalized way. "Sirius! How could you?" He laughed as their drinks got there. "What is this?"

"You've never had Firewhiskey before?"

"No."

"Well it's alcohol. Just try it, you'll like it. You're old enough to drink, right?"

She nodded and took a sip, wincing as it burnt her throat. She coughed and said, "Wow,"

"Do you like it?" he asked, amused.

"_Like_ is a strong word. It's a little strong."

"It'll grow on you," he smiled, "What do you usually drink?"

"I don't, really. Wine at family events is even rare."

"Are you a lightweight?"

"Do I look like one?"

"Yes," he answered immediately.

Loretta laughed and said, "I'm Italian. Even though I'm small, I'm not much of a lightweight."

"Ahh, of course," he nodded in understanding. Three gruff men walked up to them and Loretta tensed. Sirius didn't notice them at first until one of the roughly yanked him up and bound his wrists behind his back. "What are you doing?" he asked angrily.

"We're arresting you," one man said vaguely.

"For what? I didn't do anything!"

"Let him go!" Loretta demanded.

"We're arresting you for kidnapping the princess."

"The princess?" Sirius asked struggling, "Who's the princess?"

"Princess Loretta Isabelle Theresa Catherine LaSantini."

Sirius looked at Loretta, bewildered, but before he could process this, Loretta stood and dropped the hood of her cloak. He recognized her face from pictures in the newspaper about the Magical Monarch Family of Italy coming to visit.

King Franco LaSantini III, Queen Giovanna LaSantini, their three sons, Princes Franco IIII, Luis, Marco and Philip LaSantini, and their two daughters, Jane and Loretta LaSantini, were visiting England for a large banquet that the Minister of Magic was throwing. The LaSantini family ruled the magical side of Italy and had a strong influence in all of Europe's other magic ministries, monarchies and empires.

"I order you to let him go!" she demanded, "He did nothing wrong! I don't know where you got the idea that he kidnapped me!"

The two men bowed in respect, pushing Sirius down as well. "Sorry, Princess Loretta. We cannot let him go. We have evidence of him Apparating away with you."

"I allowed him to though! Let him go, he didn't kidnap me!"

"Sorry, we have different orders, Your Highness," the other man said. They began to walk away with Sirius.

Loretta called out, "Don't worry, Sirius! I'll get you out of this!"


	4. Peter Pan

**Summary:** **Sirius and Lacey are childhood friends and promised each other they'd never grow up. They were separated and grew up without each other. Once reunited in the Order, what will Sirius do when he finds that she has grown up, and what will she do when she finds out that he hasn't?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Peter Pan, Harry Potter or any Walt Disney movie!**

_Peter Pan_

"We're glad you're in the Order, Lacey," Dumbledore said as they walked into the new Headquarters. The foyer was large with marble floors. There was a large staircase in front of them with classy black railing. It led to a beautiful open second floor.

"I'm glad to be here, and happy to offer any services I can to you," said the woman next to Dumbledore. She led him up the staircase.

Dumbledore smiled, "Well it's already very gracious that you're offering your home to us."

"I'm happy to. It's the best you can get. No one will find the Isle of Richter."

"It's hidden, right?"

"Yes, it's protected by so many charms, it's near impossible for anybody to get in. I'll have to show everybody the secret to it."

Dumbledore nodded, "Well I'll introduce you to everybody after we go back to London. The Order is quite big."

Lacey smiled and they walked down a long hallway and into a grand room. It had a large wooden dining table in the middle with many matching chairs. Big bay windows shone light in and there were several nice paintings on the walls.

"This is where we would operate and have meetings," she said, "Although they'd most likely venture out of the room as well."

"And how are we supposed to get in? What spells did you say there were on the place?"

"There are all sorts of charms… There's Disillusionment Charms, Invisibility Charms, Muggle-Repelling Charms, there's a Fidelius Charm… _Salvio Hexium, Protego Totalum, Muffliato, Cave Inimicum_… You can't Apparate in or out of the perimeter and we just cut off all of the Floo Networks. In addition to that, we have many shield charms, charms to make us unplottable and obscuring charms."

"Your father was a very careful man, it seems. He cast all those spells?"

"Yes. My father never wanted to be found. He was always so protective of me," she smiled, "I can still barely get to it."

"Well I might cast a few more spells just to be safe." Dumbledore said. They exited the room and when back to the staircase. He looked around the large room and said, "So how are we supposed to get here?"

Lacey smirked coyly, "That's the amazing part."

She led him into a different hallway and they came upon an ominous door at the end. It was painted gold and seemed to be glowing. The door handle was made of a type of ivory.

"This door?" Dumbledore asked amusedly.

Lacey nodded, "Just watch…"

With that, she closed her eyes and placed her hand on the handle. After about three seconds, she turned it counterclockwise and pushed the door open. What showed on the other side was Dumbledore's office. He gave a short chuckle and she closed it.

"That's how you get out. You have to follow these directions precisely: think of your destination for a few seconds—with your hand on the doorknob—and then turn it _counterclockwise_ and _push_ it open. It won't work any other way."

Dumbledore then asked, "So how does one get here? We came by Floo, but then you closed the Floo Networks to this house."

"Right, it was a onetime thing. So anyways, first…" Lacey thought of his office again, and when they walked in she closed the door. "So obviously once you go through the door and close it, you can't get back." She opened the door just to prove that things were back to normal and the staircase was on the other side. "But to get there, you must have a key. It will work from any door you choose," she pulled out an object.

It was a very old key that matched the ivory doorknob. It had peculiar runes inscribed on both sides and a small pearl at the top.

"Is there just one key?"

"No, I've made others for each member of the Order," she said, "But like I said, it will work on any door at all, even if it doesn't have a lock or doesn't have a handle. You just tap the doorknob twice with the key," she demonstrated in doing so. The brass handle morphed into the nice ivory one, "And then you unlock it and step in."

She unlocked the door and it made a heavy clicking noise. Then she turned the handle counterclockwise and pushed the door in. They stepped into that hallway, and she closed the gold door behind her.

"Who came up with that?" Dumbledore asked.

"My father, actually," she answered, "After my mother died and we moved to this house, he made it completely unplottable and made only one way to get in and out. There's only one original key, this one, but I can make duplicates."

"What if a Death Eater gets a hold of one of the duplicates and makes another duplicate?"

"Only I know the secret to the key-making," Lacey told him, "It's s specific method that my father came up with."

Dumbledore nodded, "Lacey, I trust you."

"You can trust me," she said, "And if there's anything you need to know, just ask."

"Of course. So would you like to come and meet everyone now? We're all going to meet in the Hog's Head."

"Of course," she answered, and thinking of the entrance to the Hog's Head pub, she opened the door and they walked through. She closed it quickly before anyone saw what was on the other side.

"Just this way. Everyone's already here."

"Hello, Dumbledore!" several people greeted him, nodding politely to Lacey.

"How are you today, Albus?"

And a large, grizzly man shouted, "Dumbledore!"

Dumbledore began to talk when he got all of the Order members' attention. The only people in the pub were Order members, so there was no fear of anyone else hearing.

"Everyone, I'd like to introduce somebody. She's our newest member of the Order. She's is kindly letting us use her home as our new Headquarters. Here is Lacey Bowser."

Lacey walked up next to him and smiled at everybody. "Hello, everybody. Like Dumbledore said, the Order of the Phoenix Headquarters is now at my home, on the Isle of Richter. My family owns the Isle, and I live there basically all by myself. It's very protected by so many enchantments so it's nearly impossible to find. There is a specific trick to getting in though, which I will show you whenever we have time to."

"Now about the house…" Dumbledore began, but Lacey quickly took over.

"My father, the well-known William Richter, built the house by himself about ten years ago after my mother died. We previously lived in London but my father… Well, he turned crazy and took us off the grid after my mother, Amy Bowser, passed. He homeschooled me, so I didn't go to Hogwarts and unfortunately I didn't have many friends growing up. We were all alone, just him and I and the House Elves."

"Where did you say you lived before?" Dumbledore asked curiously.

"I lived in London, actually close to Grimmauld Place. Same street… I actually knew Sirius Black growing up," she said, spotting Sirius staring at her in the crowd.

"Nice seeing you again, love," he said, grinning at her.

Images flashed through her mind.

_They were six and had just seen two adults making out._

"_Yuck!" Sirius exclaimed, "I never want to grow up!"_

"_I'm with you!" Lacey agreed._

"_Promise you'll never grow up!" Sirius demanded, looking her in the eyes, "You've got to promise!"_

_Lacey smiled and stuck out her pinky. He curled his around hers and she said, "I swear that I'll never grow up."_

She laughed once, almost bitterly, "Likewise. Don't you look all grown up?" she thought she'd use a bit of play in this.

Sirius straightened his back. He had grown considerably since they were nine, when she left. His hair was still long and raven black, and his eyes were still a stormy grey color, but had much more emotion along with the usually mischievous glint. His build had gotten bulkier and he now had well-defined muscles. He observed her as well, seeing what she had turned into.

She definitely hadn't changed. Her hair was still a streaked light brown color and tidy like always. Her eyes, cerulean blue and so very kind. Her skin was nearly translucent and her face… Her adorable dimples were still her best feature.

"I'd love to catch up some time," he said, "Why don't we go to dinner tonight after the meeting?"

Lacey raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Are you asking me on a date in front of the whole Order of the Phoenix?"

"Say yes!" called a voice from the crowd, and Sirius punched the man next to him with messy black hair and glasses. A redheaded woman on the man's other side punched him as well.

Lacey laughed, "Well of course I will, Sirius."

The words echoed in her mind though. They had been repeated through the few years.

"_Promise you'll never grown up!" _was whathe demanded when they were six.

Only a month afterwards,_ "Remember your promise?" _when he saw Lacey with her mother, shopping.

"_Don't go getting old on me now." _when she had been acting lazy in a game of tag.

Sirius repeated the words so many times throughout the years. He even gave subtle hints. When Lacey's mother would tell them they weren't old enough for something, Lacey would often cry out, _"We're practically ancient!"_ He would merely poke her in these times. He would give her meaningful looks whenever age was brought up. He dreaded birthdays immensely.

After Dumbledore said a few more words, he said, "So Lacey will teach us all how to get to the house when we are in not such a public place. We can all go to my office and do it, maybe tomorrow, Lacey?"

"Tomorrow would be great," she said, snapping out of her thoughts.

"Great. Meeting tomorrow at Hogwarts in my office. Let's say one in the afternoon?"

Everyone agreed, and Dumbledore dismissed the meeting. Lacey mingled for a bit before two arms wrapped around her waist from behind.

"Hello, love," greeted the voice of Sirius.

Lacey smiled and turned around. Sirius let go of her before she hugged him tightly. "Sirius! I've missed you so much!"

"I've missed you too; it's great to see you again!"

"I guess I came to the Order at the right time," she grinned, "You look great."

He smiled at her and looked her up and down, "You do too. So what've you been up to?"

"Well I finished my homeschooling for magic about a year ago. Of course, that's when everybody our age left Hogwarts."

Sirius nodded, "Well good. Hogwarts was fun, but it would have been better if you had come too."

"My father wouldn't let me. He locked me up like some prisoner."

Sirius frowned, "Why do you still live there then? Does it not give you bad memories?"

"Some are good, some are rather bad. But I love that house. My father built it by himself; I plan on having my future family live there for the rest of our bloodline."

Sirius grinned, "I'm glad you have such loyalty to the house. So what are you doing now?"

"I'm just helping with the Order. Nothing big."

"Well we're all very grateful."

Lacey smiled even wider at him, "You're grown up well."

"Not much," he said, "Just in appearance."

She nodded, "Well you're positively dashing."

"You're very beautiful yourself. You've grown up good, too. You've grown up… a lot."

She smiled, "Thank you."

"What about our promise?" he demanded, "You promised to not grow up."

"Oh, Sirius," she patted his cheek, "Everyone grows up sometime. It's inevitable."

"For me it's inevitable. I'm still a child at heart."

"Something will change that one day. I know not what will or when, but something, someday."

Sirius shook his head, "I think you're wrong."

"I'm not," she said.

He sighed and shifted his feet, "At least I don't break promises."

Lacey raised her eyebrows at him. She sort of smiled and said, "Something, someday. It'll happen. Sirius?" she asked before she walked away.

"Hmmm?" he asked quietly.

"It was nice to see you."

She sighed and walked away. Somehow, it felt good that he knew she'd grown up. She knew something would make him grown up eventually. He couldn't pretend to be a child forever. But for now, it felt good to her that she was so mature. If she weren't, she wouldn't be where she was then. She wouldn't have come so far. She wouldn't be the person she was today. And whether Sirius accepted it or not, he would grow up too.


	5. The Little Mermaid

**Summary: James and Sirius are in a mission in Australia, and are being housed by a True Blue Aussie. However, this native woman would love to just get out of Australia! Too bad she can't—she's stuck here until her problems _die_ away. While it upsets even Sirius, what can he really do to help, given the circumstances?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Little Mermaid, Harry Potter or any Walt Disney movie!**

_The Little Mermaid_

There was a groan, "Australia's so hot!"

Sirius glanced at James Potter, who was walking next to him on the beach. Sirius laughed, earning a glare from James.

"Prongs, it _is_ the beach. And you _are_ wearing all black…"

"Well so are you! How are you not dying?" James questioned, taking off his black cloak. Sirius kept his on and shrugged. "Where's that woman anyways?"

"We have to walk dock and she'll be there by her boat, which we will recognize. Didn't you read the paper at all?"

"Lily and I went over it, but this heat is blocking my brain."

"Well unblock it; we've got business to do."

Sirius and James had been sent on a mission to Australia, obviously. At first, they were weary of it, thinking they'd be in the scorching outback the entire time. James and Sirius were none too excited at the thought of kangaroos and lizards, mesquite trees, sand and barren, red land.

Then they had been informed that they'd be by the sea, and they got pretty excited at the thought of warm beaches, hoping for some nice luxurious place, like the city or even just a nice beach or fishing village would do.

However, they Apparated to the right place, and found themselves far into the point of allowed Apparition, about a mile and a half. They had to walk to the dock, which was where the city started and Apparition ended. It was hot and endless beach, with the smell of salt and fish.

The beginning was turning out nothing like they expected.

Soon, they reached a dock. There were very many people there, but one woman stood out considerably—she was the woman that Dumbledore picked out from the International Order. They'd be staying in her house for their mission.

She was standing by a pretty white sailboat, like she said she'd be. On the side it said _Aguamenti_ in bright blue, curly letters. They both grinned at that and began to walk up to her.

"Beautiful ship," Sirius said to her.

The woman smiled and laughed, "It's a sailboat, but thanks anyways, Sirius."

"How'd you know my name?" he wondered.

"I was informed of both of your names. Do you think Dumbledore would let me go clueless of who's staying at my home?"

"He let us go clueless of whose home we were staying at." James pointed out.

The woman smiled a set of white, straight teeth. Her lips were dusty and chapped, but it didn't take away at all. "I'm Leah Holt," she introduced herself, holding out her hand. They each shook it and then began to climb on the boat. "What are you doing?"

"Aren't we going on the boat?"

"No, my home's on the land."

Sirius smiled and jumped off, "Of course it is."

"Follow me," she laughed, leading them to a white Jeep. Though Sirius was fascinated by Muggle cars, this didn't seem special. The car was dirty and beat up. "Throw your bags in the back, and just hop right in!"

Leah had a very strong Australian accent. Sirius commented on it, in fact. "I love your accent. Exotic."

"Not exotic, just Australian." She grinned, "I'm a True Blue Aussie, sweetheart." She even looked the part. Her skin was a healthy tan color, her blonde hair was sun streaked and her eyes were emerald green with such a hint of excitement in them.

She drove them through the streets and to a house not far from the dock. It was right on the beach with the ocean in their backyard. It was painted yellow, three stories, with a three car garage in the very front of the house.

Once Leah parked, she led them inside. The interior was bright and fun. There were a lot of paintings on the walls and some clutter scattered around. The ceilings were high and there were a lot of windows. The furniture, the linens, the walls and floors were all white. The decorations were the only things that provided color. Colorful paintings, bright flowers and plants, pretty pictures and wall hangings.

"This is beautiful," James commented.

"Thanks. My grandfather built this house in 1925 for his family. My entire family has lived in it, my parents, aunts and uncles, cousins, everyone."

"Where is all of your family now?"

"Well I'm the very youngest. My grandfather, parents and aunts and uncles are dead," she said, "I only have one cousin left, but he's nowhere to be found. I've got no siblings. I'm left taking care of my grandmother all alone."

"Well I'm so sorry about that…" Sirius didn't finish, and she just shrugged and began to lead them up a big spiral staircase. "How old is your grandmother?"

"Eighty. She's upstairs, sleeping. She always sleeps so much, but never… She never succumbs to her age."

"It must be tough to be anchored here." James said as she led them down a hall, then another one.

She sighed, "You have no idea. I… I would love nothing more than to just travel around the world. But I can't until she dies."

They didn't say anything. It was an uncomfortable situation, which she sensed, "I don't want her to die, because that'd be terrible. But I wish there was somebody else to take care of her. I can barely escape, and the only time I do is to sail on the boat. My father built it when I was five and gave it to me when he died. I got everything when he died. I'm living here off an inheritance, doing what I can."

"Like for the Order?" Sirius asked.

"Yes. I do what I can for the Order—I'm a house for the missioners, like." They reached two brightly painted doors. "That's your bedroom, Sirius," she pointed to the blue one, "And that's yours, James," she pointed to the green.

"Thanks." Sirius said gratefully, and James followed suit.

"Of course. Dinner is at five sharp. I'm going to go to the beach for a while… Err, the backyard I mean," she smiled and glanced out the window.

James smiled, "Have fun."

"You both are welcome to join me if you like."

"We'll be sure to do that." Sirius grinned and he and James walked in to their rooms. Both were identical, with white walls and white wood on the floor and white linens. Sirius's blue room had a few blue paintings on the walls and blue decorations like bright blue flowers, blue rocks and seashells in a clear bowl and blue drapes on the windows.

James's room was all white as well, but has two big black and white pictures in green frames, a mirror with a bright green frame, a potted palm, and a green chandelier hanging from the ceiling. In the corner was a big, grass green chair that stuck out like a sore thumb, but in a kind of nice way.

"The rooms are decorated pretty nice." James commented later on as they headed downstairs to go the beach.

"Yeah, whoever decorated the whole house has a pretty good eye…" Sirius said, and then looked at James in a bewildered way. James looked at him with an equally shocked expression. "Mate, did I just say that?"

"You did, Pads." James nodded, beginning to laugh.

"I've been hanging around Lily too much."

This made James laugh harder. "Hey, are you gonna go outside with Leah?"

"Yeah," Sirius nodded.

"Alright. I might be out soon. I'm gonna use the two-way mirror to see Lily."

"Tell her hi," Sirius grinned, and then he exited the house through the kitchen door to see Leah sitting on the beach. She was wearing denim shorts and a yellow top. She was simply sitting there, holding her knees, looking out at the water.

Sirius went and sat on one side of her, and after a moment of silence, she pointed at the ocean, "Do you know what's out there?"

"The Indian Ocean," Sirius answered matter-of-factly.

"No, freedom," she told him.

"Well seeing as we're facing northwest, it's actually the Indian Ocean. And beyond that is Indonesia… Beyond _that_ is India."

Leah rolled her eyes, "Smartass… Where do you guys live?"

"London," he answered.

She sighed, "Not what I meant…"

"I live in a small flat in the city," Sirius said, "James lives the married life in a house in a wizarding community with his _love_."

Leah was smiling, "That's nice… But that's what I mean! I'm stuck here. You guys can do anything you want. I'm just… I have no opportunity. I can't do anything. I am completely attached to this place forever!"

"Your grandmother won't live forever," Sirius said. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and she leaned into his touch somewhat.

She shrugged, "I've been taking care of her since I left school. I'm in my twenties now and I need more options, I can't take care for her forever!"

"You won't have to, love," Sirius said, "Just don't worry. Nature will take her soon enough."

Leah groaned and lay down in the sand taking Sirius with her, "I wonder if it's actually as peaceful as that." Sirius didn't respond and after a while, Leah sighed and sat up, "What's the time?"

Sirius checked his watch and answered, "Almost four."

She groaned and lay back again, on his chest, "I have to get dinner started…"

"What are you making?" Sirius asked.

She shrugged and stood up, "What did you want?"

He answered, "Well actually, I was looking forward to some actual, real Australian food."

Leah chuckled at his response and said, "Well I'll just throw some shrimp on the Barbie then." He grinned and she shook her head, "Actually, I was thinking more like clams. We just caught a bunch fresh this morning."

"Sounds great," Sirius said, "Lily makes great clams, I'm sure James will love it!"

"The way you talk about Lily and James reminds me of my parents." Leah told him, "They loved each other so much… So how do you like your clams?"

Sirius shrugged and said, "Clam chowder."

Leah pulled a face, "Yuck… I'm all for clam chowder, in the winter… When it's cold! You realize that it's thirty-five degrees right now! There's fifty percent humidity! And come to think of it, you're wearing all black and don't seem to be breaking a sweat… So is James…"

"James was while we were walking to the dock," Sirius laughed, "But anyways, we're talking about clam chowder, not the weather."

"Right!" she exclaimed, "Anyways, you need some real clams, not chowder even though that's all you boring Brits eat."

"We're not boring," Sirius argued, "And it's not all we eat!"

"Whatever!" Leah then straightened up and bowed to them, "Hello. I'm Chef Leah Holt, and I shall be preparing for you today… Scalloped clams! You're in for a treat, I assure you." Sirius chuckled and she started to walk back to the house. Then she turned and laughed, "Remember, five sharp! If you come late, you don't get food!"

Sirius was still smiling once she walked back to the house. This girl was quirky and cute. He liked her already.

XXX

"You realized that these aren't scalloped clams." Sirius told her about an hour later that evening.

"Yes, Sirius, thank you," she said sarcastically, "I actually realized that as soon as I found that I cannot scallop a clam… So here you are: _Sautéed Clams a la Leah_."

Sirius and James dug in fast, not having gotten to eat lunch in their travels. They barely saw as Leah set up another dish on a tray.

"I'm going to bring my grandmother in, so hold on." Leah said. She left quickly, not up the stairs but down a hallway. She came back out, rolling a woman in a wheelchair. "Wake up, Nonna. It's dinner time."

The old woman in the chair jolted awake and sighed. She had piercing, cold blue eyes and long silvery hair in a braid. Her skin was much wrinkled and her thin lips were set in a straight, stern line. Her white nightgown went long, all the way to her ankles.

"Have I been sleeping the entire day?" she croaked.

"Yes, Nonna. You had an exhausting day yesterday, so it's okay. But tomorrow the doctor will probably want you to get out in the sun a bit."

Nonna sighed and nodded, "Leah, what'd you make for dinner?"

"Clams," Leah answered, "You like clams."

"I do?"

"Yes, Nonna. Now I'll set you up by the television, okay?"

Leah rolled her to a small TV set, something that James and Sirius didn't entirely recognize. She turned on a fuzzy show and gave Nonna her tray.

"Can I have my cigarettes?" Nonna requested.

"No, Nonna, you shouldn't smoke anymore."

"Did the doctor say I couldn't?"

Leah nodded, "Yes!"

"Puh!" Nonna spat, "Just give me my cigarettes or I'll get up for them myself."

Sirius and James were shocked, frankly. Nonna, at first glance, seemed very frail and stern. Now they realized that she probably wasn't exactly that.

"Nonna, I can't give you cigarettes." Leah shook her head. Nonna braced herself on the arms of her chair and prepared to stand, until Leah stopped her. "No! Okay, I'll give you your cigarettes!"

"And hurry up before I hit you, Leah!"

Leah rushed to the cabinet, pulling out a carton of cigarettes, and a matchbox. She was frowning and looked angry. She gave them to Nonna and growled out, "Here you go. I hope you know you're killing yourself."

"I'm old enough. Why can't I go because of a habit I enjoy?"

"Nonna, wouldn't you rather slip away in your sleep?"

"Than from a painful stroke? Of course. But I want to slip away in my sleep because of these cancer-sticks." Nonna lit her own cigarette with steady hands and took a deep drag, "Ahh, that's the stuff."

Leah walked away and toward Sirius and James, "Sorry about her," Leah whispered.

"It's no problem, believe me. Nothing like I expected." Sirius laughed.

"Who are those to blokes?" Nonna asked, turning her head, "Are you sleeping with them?"

Leah choked on the water she was drinking, "No! Nonna, of course not!"

"I was just wondering. You don't have to get cranky on me…"

"I…"

"How long are they staying?"

"Just for a little bit! Don't worry about them, Nonna!"

Nonna grumbled a little, saying something about Leah being _ungrateful_ for the roof that's over her head and how her grandfather is probably rolling in his grave, and some other unmistakable cussing and insults.

"You call her Nonna? Are you Italian?" James asked.

"No," Leah smiled bitterly at her grandmother, "That's just what my oldest cousin was calling her from the minute he was born, so we all began to call her Nonna. There were a bunch of strange names for our family members. We called my grandfather Chief and I called my father by his first name. I called my mother's parents Babushka and Dedushka, Russian. Most of my aunts and uncles had their own pet names and I called all of my cousins by animal names, and that soon caught on between all of the cousins."

"What was yours?"

"Everyone called me Dingo…" she smirked and shrugged, "I came up with most of the names. Dunno who started calling me that in the first place."

"Were you an only child?" Sirius asked.

"Yeah, but it didn't seem like it. All my cousins were always around me—until now," she shrugged, "You've heard a lot about me. What about you both?"

"James comes from a loving family," Sirius began, "And I should come from his family, but I don't."

"I'm an only child, too." James said, "I'm sort of spoiled… My parents passed away a few months ago."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Leah frowned.

James only shrugged. "Hey, Sirius's story is the real kicker."

Sirius shook his head, "It's not…"

"Oh, c'mon," Leah persuaded him. She smirked at him playfully, which he returned. She looked away immediately, and he thought he saw something in her eyes.

"Well… My entire family's been pureblooded, Slytherin, posh, stuck up and terribly evil. They've always been partial to purebloods and discriminated against anyone else. I hate everyone in my family—save for a few family members who are like me: disowned."

"Siblings?"

"A brother, Regulus," Sirius spat, "He was the apple of my parents' eyes. They loved him. He was perfect to them, and I, being a Gryffindor, was scum to them. I was useless and a disgrace."

"That seems terrible, I—"

"For God's sake, Leah!" Nonna snapped from the living room, "Could you and your little boys shut your fuckin' traps!"

"Nonna!" Leah scolded, exasperated. She looked at them apologetically and shrugged. "I actually can't help but love her. She's very funny, if you look past her anchoring me here."

Sirius nodded and smiled, "She reminds me of…"

"Who?" Leah asked when he paused.

"I'm not sure… No one really. I'll tell you what, this old bag is unique."

Leah chuckled, "Yeah, it's almost worth it."

Nonna started hacking from the living room, and Leah raised her eyebrows, ready to rush in to help her. After she drank some water, she gave another weak cough or two and yelled, "Thanks, Leah, for helping me! You ungrateful little bint!"

James and Sirius both looked at Leah, who laughed, "_Almost_."

XXX

After two weeks of a lot of flirting with Leah and a one-night-stand on their last day, Sirius was almost heartbroken to leave. She was enchanting, exciting and adventurous—she would be more so if her grandmother weren't in her way. Sirius admired how she trucked on though and stuck with her family loyally.

"Leah," Sirius said at the dock. The three of them were standing by her boat, though James wasn't paying much attention—he was preparing for the journey. Sirius and Leah were saying goodbye, she was glowing with happiness, he assumed from the previous night.

"Yes?" she asked. She didn't expect anything from him, he knew, but he was just as happy as she was—it was understandable.

"I… when your grandmother dies… Here you go."

He gave her a card—it had his name and address on it in London. Attached to the back was a small picture of him, which he added in so she wouldn't forget him. She took it and beamed, squinting her eyes from the sun, "Of course."

He smiled and gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek and hugged her. When he pulled back, she looked him in the eyes and smirked. He leaned in to give her a longer, deeper kiss on the lips, one she returned with lust and vigor.

Leah pulled away, breathless and laughed a bit. "Wow…"

Sirius took James's bag and pulled out a black camera, "You mind if I get something to remember you by?"

Leah said, "Go ahead."

"Smile for me…"

She did, grinning her chapped lips. He captured a perfect picture of her, her dirty blonde hair blowing in the wind. In the background was her boat, and on the side it clearly said _Aguamenti_ in curly, light blue letters.

"Beautiful picture," he said went it dispensed, "Beautiful…"

"Are you sure you don't want to… I dunno… Bring your grandmother to England _with_ us?" he smiled, knowing the answer.

"Oh, she'd hate it in England. I'll just have to wait… Just a small while longer. It won't be long until she's at peace."

He chuckled, wondering if she'd really be at peace. "Well I hope by then you haven't forgotten about this, and you remember to come to London."

Leah grinned and gave him one more kiss, whispering in his ear, "Don't forget me, Sirius."

"How could I?"

She laughed and then said to James, "James, I wish you well on your journey."

"Thanks, Leah. It was a pleasure knowing you, and I hope to see you again in the future."

"So do I," she smiled. She gave him a hug, and then shared one more glance with Sirius before biding them a last farewell.


	6. Pocahontas

**Summary:** **During a mission for the Order, Sirius meets Lucy. He learns from Lucy. Lucy makes him think hard about what he does. He learns that not every person who is a descendant from a Dark wizard is bad. It's how she was raised, it seems right to them. A little more, nothing less.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pocahontas, Harry Potter or any Walt Disney movie!**

_Pocahontas_

Things seemed to go in slow motion as the men marched through the village.

People watched from all over. Worried faces showed from the windows of small houses. Children in the street paused their playing and stared in awe at the passing men. People enjoying Butterbeers on their front porches suddenly stopped and dropped their glasses, watching the men as well.

The sky that had been so bright and sunny before seemed to darken with storm clouds. The nice day turned bad and dark. The air was thick now, and everyone knew what was going to happen. They were scared, frightened of the destruction to come.

They had been alerted as soon as they heard the loud _cracks_ that came from the edge of town. Now a small army of men were walking through, headed to the Town Square. Everyone knew what these men wanted—to destroy. They knew their town would be hit eventually by the men. There were more Dark Wizards in this town that most other towns. The inhabitants knew that in these times, they'd get attacked by the Order, and they'd get attacked hard.

Mothers were gathering their children and dragging them inside. Soon, no one was on the streets. The men of the Order reached the middle of town. By then, large, burly men were rushing out of houses, dressed in dark robes, clutching wands, prepared to fight.

The group of forty or so men faced the other group with just as many, an equal ratio. They glared at one another for only a few seconds before the first wands was raised. A man in the back of the Order's group fired a sharp spell at the other group. It hit no one, but then all hell broke loose.

People were shooting spells and curses and jinxes at each other. Things were suddenly set aflame—homes, trees, people—and destruction was beginning immediately. The bell tower was the first building to crash. The bell was still ringing even as it fell to the ground in shambles.

People were coming outside now, only to be injured or set on fire or attacked. Screams filled the air, and it suddenly turned to night. Many houses in the neighborhood were destroyed already. Men from the Order were going in and out of the houses, looking for survivors. Everyone was still fighting. Women were fighting now, just to keep their numbers up.

The children were banding together, quivering in fear. One of the child gangs in the neighborhood began to fight too. It was heartbreaking to see everyone in the town fighting, and most of the children not knowing what to do. Their houses had burned or crumbled. There was no shelter for them. No one cared.

Death was all around them. Hatred was everywhere. Anger and bias and terror filled the town. What kind of a place was this? A place where no one cared for the dead people on the street, where no one cared for the poor children in danger? The Order's men could destroy lives without a care, and even when the lives are so young and fragile, it didn't matter.

Nothing did, except defeating and destroying the town.

One woman in particular, Lucy Barnum, was able to break away from the duel. When she got away from her attacker, she had to run fast to the other side of town where all the children were. She ran in the most unpopulated streets. No one was fighting there. There were several dead bodies of the battle that happened there probably only minutes before though.

She looked young. She was probably still a teenager, but had to be over seventeen from the magic she was using. She had dark brown hair that was tangled from her duel. Her brown eyes were alert and scared. Her ivory skin was scarred in some places, burnt freshly in other places, red and damaged in others.

Lucy was wearing a denim sundress with a smocked waist. It was ripped and burnt on the bottom and had a few holes from battle. Her feet were bare and her nails were painted white. If she weren't running for her life and if she hadn't been so damaged, hurt and disheveled, then she would have looked cute, adorable even.

She was rushing to get to where the children of the town were. Lucy had to protect them. It was up to her to get them safe. However, she wasn't paying attention to what was in front of her. She tripped on a pothole—their streets never were very well paved. She fell forward and landed hard on the asphalt. Lucy rolled over with a groan.

She'd fallen hard. Her arm throbbed to the bone. She could tell her arms and hands and knees were scraped up. She was breathing hard and when she tried to get up, she couldn't muster the strength to do so. It had been a long, hard night. She had been in the garden with her brother at the time they came, just having fun with him.

Maybe she should just give up.

"Who's there?" a voice called reproachfully. Lucy didn't answer. She groaned a bit, but she was sure no one heard. There were footsteps coming up though. She reached for her wand and grabbed it just in time for a man to disarm her.

He kneeled next to her, seeing her helpless and suffering. "What do we have here?" asked an amused voice.

Lucy's heart rate sped up. She wasn't sure if he could actually hear it or not. Adrenaline rushed through her veins and her palms were clammy. There was a knot in her stomach all because of the Order member who had approached her.

Lucy didn't know what she thought was going to happen, but she didn't expect him to help her. The man took out his wand. She braced herself and asked, "What are you going to do?"

"My job is to kill you…" the man said, "I'm not sure if I should though."

Lucy didn't answer, and the man stepped forward. He put his wand under her chin and lifted his face to look at it. He observed her with his fathomless grey eyes. Lucy was entranced by his eyes, and noticed his hair was raven black and long. He looked stony and intense—like all of the other Order members out there. However, his face softened when he saw the fear in her face.

He dropped his wand and looked away from her eyes. "I'm going to help heal your wounds, okay?" Lucy nodded tightly and he picked him wand up. He held her wrist in his hand and felt it was broken. "I don't actually know any Healing spells, but I can wrap your wounds…"

He began to clean her scrapes with water and then tore a very long piece of fabric from the skirt of her dress. He used some to wrap her knees and used some to wrap her hands and her broken wrist. He helped her up and asked of her name.

"L-Lucy…" she stuttered.

"I'm Sirius," he told her.

"Sirius…" she said quietly, "Sirius, are you going to kill me?"

He shook his head, "No, I won't."

"Are you going to hurt me?"

"You're too harmless," he told her.

Lucy stepped away from him, "I—I need to get to the children…" she said.

"Let me help you."

"Why?"

Sirius wasn't sure. "Just let me."

Lucy looked at him skeptically and said, "Give me my wand."

Sirius obliged and she grabbed his arm. She Apparated them to a house across town. Though Lucy knew the children were previously there, they weren't anymore. Lucy was shocked and was going through all of the situations in her mind…

They were probably captured.

A noise down the street broke her from her thoughts. "There's one of them!" a man yelled.

"She's got Black!"

"She's captured him!"

Several Order members were rushing forward. Lucy, not knowing what else to do, turned on her heel and Apparated them to a very dark place.

"Where are we?" Sirius demanded.

"_Lumos_," Lucy whispered, lighting up the room. The walls were grey and bare, but there were shelves in some places. There was wooden furniture all around littered with various survival items. It was cold in there. "I took us to one of my neighbor's bomb shelters," she told him, "There's no door, it's impossible to get in from the outside unless you've been in here before, and then you can Apparate in here. We'll be safe here."

Since no one in the Order knew of this place, no one could get in… They were very safe.

Lucy walked over and pointed her wand at lamp. She whispered something and it suddenly lit up, and lit a trail of light around the room.

Lucy sat down across the room and Sirius sat next to her. She flinched when they heard bloodcurdling shriek from overhead. She looked down and sighed, and Sirius didn't know what to say to her.

"You know, no one deserves that," she said, "No one."

"That's why we do it. You all do it to Muggles and Muggle-born people. We're trying to stop you from doing so."

"But we don't!" she cried, "We don't! Nobody in this town murders people because of their blood status! Okay, so we are all pureblooded, yes, we are. And we do prefer purebloods over anything else; we do have that sort of supremacy. However, there are several half-bloods, Muggle-born witches and wizards and even half-breeds in our town! We are okay with them, we aren't prejudiced against them!" Lucy paused to take a breath, "We don't pillage anyone who isn't pureblooded! We don't kick people out of our village for it! We prefer the purebloods, but in all honesty, none of us care that much anymore!"

He glared at her, "But you still prefer the Dark Arts."

"Yes, yes we do. But we don't hurt anyone with them. So yes, we're into the Dark Arts. We all have bookshelves full of dangerous, enchanted books and books that shriek when you open them and evil potions and spell books, and so what if we all have weird artifacts lining the walls of our houses? And things like cursed jewels and poisoned candles and shrunken heads?" she shook her head and laughed a fake, cold laugh, "Yes, we prefer the Dark Arts, but we aren't practicing them on human beings. We just like it… But we never harm people with it."

Sirius sighed, "I guess we see it differently than you do. Anything Dark is just dark, and there's nothing else to it… Well, that's how it is for us. If you practice Dark Magic, you're a bad person."

"Well to us it's a way of life. We were all raised in this environment. We were all raised to be this way. And now, I guess, you guys are making sure the next generation won't be."

Sirius looked at her, "I'm really sorry."

"If you were, you wouldn't jump to assumptions. You wouldn't ruin lives."

"We just thought…" he sighed, "We mean to ruin the lives of people who ruin other lives. The bad people."

"Well maybe you should check who the bad people are. Because we aren't them. You've killed innocent people today. You've destroyed lives, buildings, everything. You've put so much destruction on the entire town… And I don't know if any of you will be feeling any remorse at all."

"I will…" he said, "Since you've told me about your lives… I see now."

"What do you see, Sirius?"

"I see how it is. You all are raised with it… You see nothing wrong. It's your way of life. You guys know no different, so…"

"But you still think we're terrible…" she guessed.

Sirius shook his head, though he knew he was lying, "I… I see it… I mean, my parents, my entire family were pureblood supremacists so I get it. I understand the whole Dark Side thing."

"How'd you turn out like this then? In the Order? Wrecking lives so like your own?"

Sirius sucked in a sharp breath, not having thought of it that way before. "I just… When I went to Hogwarts, my friends taught me different. I wasn't around them my entire life, so I learned what they were doing… It's terrible—"

"That's your opinion," she interjected, and then let him continue.

"I was friends with people who were…" he didn't want to say good, because she would try to contradict him again, "Who were all for fighting against Dark things, and we all learned that Dark things were bad. So we all joined the Order, and we all wanted to fight people who harmed other people, we all wanted to fight people who liked the Dark Arts, like you."

"So you still think we're all awful people. You know, there is good in us. We don't kill, at least. We aren't _savages_. We're just more entertained and fascinated by the creepier, unhappy things in life. We're twisted. We're infatuated with the Dark Arts."

"I know you aren't savages."

"You did before. I know you did."

"I didn't want to kill anyone, but it was my job to go on this mission."

"You still killed people though," Lucy told him, "You guys are just as bad as those Death Eaters. You killed innocent people today, just like them. Think of the countless other Dark Villages to attacked. How do you know they weren't like us?"

Sirius didn't respond until she nudged him. "I'm sorry."

Lucy shook her head, "It's terrible…" Lucy fell asleep with her head in his lap that night. He fell asleep upright, but long after Lucy did. He had been up, watching her sleep. He was watching her eyes fluttering, watching her chest fall up and down steadily.

They woke in the morning, or what might have been the morning. They weren't sure until they Apparated back outside. The sun was close to rising. It was dawn, very brisk and chilly outside. Sirius offered her his coat, which she accepted.

They walked around the deserted town for a while. It was all in shambles. Some buildings were still burning idly. Dead bodies were all over, those of men, women and children alike. Some were of the Order members, but that was very few. The rest was the entire village. No one remained except for Lucy, unless some had escaped and left the village. No building was standing. The remains of the village were a sad sight. It was nothing anymore. It was ruined.

Nothing…

Lucy shed tears while looking at all of it. Once they reached the Town Square, they saw all of the Order members waiting there.

"Sirius!" one called once they saw him arrive with Lucy.

"Black, where'd you go off to?"

"We've been looking for you for a solid three hours!"

"We'd thought you'd died. Bloody glad to see you haven't!"

They all greeted him, and once they realized Lucy was there, they drew their wands. However, Sirius protected her.

"Don't harm her!" Sirius demanded of them, "She's… She's the only one left. Just leave her."

"We better get moving then," one man said, "C'mon, we'll Apparate out."

They all began to go out, and finally, Sirius was the only one left. He took Lucy's hand and held it.

"Umm, thanks for saving me from them," she said quietly. He put his hand on her cheek. There was a big bruise on it from a duel. She was still dirty and damaged, just like him. They both looked terrible, like they'd been through Hell. However, they knew it wasn't even close to Hell.

Over the night, and only the night, Sirius had become infatuated with her. He didn't know what drew him to her, whether it was her innocent appearance, her shy personality at first or how she spoke up and stood up for her village to Sirius. There was just something about her that he really liked; that he thought was so entrancing.

Her brown eyes bore into his grey ones. His eyes were warm toward her now as he leaned in and kissed her deeply. She kissed back, and the snog lasted for about a minute and a half before Sirius broke away, breathing hard.

"I—" he tried, but words failed him.

"Will I see you again?" she asked. She didn't sound very hopeful.

"Probably not," he answered sadly.

"Of course not…" she started to take his coat off to give it back, but he told her to keep it.

"Something to remember me by."

She sighed, "It's all I have… My home is ruined… I have no place to go…" tears shed from her eyes, which he swiped away with his thumb.

"I have no advice for you…" he whispered, "But maybe if you go to Dumbledore at Hogwarts… Maybe he could help out…"

She let out a shaky breath, "Thank you."

Sirius kissed her cheeks, her nose and then her mouth again. "I have to go now… I'll remember you, forever."

"Sure you will," Lucy said, "Goodbye, Sirius."

"Goodbye, Lucy."

Sirius stepped away from Lucy, and with a final wave, he turned on his heel and Disapparated. Lucy, tears dried, fell to her knees and crumpled in the Town Square.


	7. Beauty and the Beast

**Summary: Their relationship was fine at first, fun even. However, as time went on, and the war escalated, things changed. This changed drastically, and not for the better. Sirius wasn't there as much as she'd like him to be and she turned into… a downright wreck. Once Sirius finally notices this, how can he change it?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Beauty and the Beast, Harry Potter or any Walt Disney movie!**

_Beauty and the Beast_

The day was beautiful. Everybody was outside in the sun. Lily Evans and a close friend had decided to go to brunch. They chose a quaint café and were sitting at the veranda, enjoying the heat of Diagon Alley.

"Laura, are you okay?" the redhead asked her blonde friend.

Laura shrugged, "I'm exhausted."

"What's been keeping you up?" Lily asked. Laura didn't answer immediately, and when she did, it was a mumbled response. "What was that?" Lily questioned.

"It's just Sirius."

"What's wrong?" Lily asked. She was severely concerned for her friend.

Her appearance was going, for one. Her hair was ash blonde, and permed, and it used to be very glossy and bouncy and voluminous. Now it was bland and drab, the curls with no bounce and the color dull. Her cobalt eyes, so filled with life before, were sad and lonely now. Her tanned skin had a strange grayish hue and it was unhealthy and dry. Her lips were always chapped, her eyes glossy and red, her nose stuffy.

She used to be so pretty, which was why Sirius began to date her in the first place. Now she was losing her beauty. She looked like a train wreck. She seemed so ill and depressed. It was heartbreaking for Lily to see her like that.

"Well," she shrugged, "I've grown so accustomed to having him in my bed as I fall asleep. Now that he's always out very late, it's… unnerving. I'm just nervous, and I can't get to sleep until he's with me."

"I get the nervousness."

Laura nodded, "Yeah… You're lucky that James is always back at the house at a decent time each night. Sirius is out past midnight and when he comes back in the small hours of the morning, I'm always drowsy in the armchair in the living room."

"He's always starting fights, isn't he?"

"Well I can't help but wonder why he's been out so late! But when I ask, he's so drunk that it just turns into a fight."

"I'm so sorry, Laura," Lily said sincerely, reaching out to pat her hand.

"It's not your fault, Lils. I… I dunno…"

"He's not… He isn't hurting you, is he?"

Laura raised her eyebrows, shocked that Lily would even ask such a question, "No, Lily! Of course he's not!"

"I was just making sure."

"You don't actually think that Sirius would abuse a girl, do you?"

"I actually don't," Lily shook her head, "No, I don't, but I just _had_ to make sure, even though the inkling of suspicion was quite minuscule."

Laura didn't answer, only sighed and rested her head on her hand. "I think I need to get some sleep."

"Here, I'll take you home," Lily offered. Laura took her arm and Lily Apparated them to the flat that Sirius and Laura lived in.

The inside was sort of dingy. It hadn't been cleaned in a while. Dirty clothes littered the floor, and clean dishes were stacked in the drying rack in the kitchen. The white ceiling fan in the living room rotated lazily. It was incredibly quiet, and somewhat unnerving.

The only exceptional thing about the house was how bookcases covered most of the walls completely. All of Laura's books were there. She had so many of them and some were still in boxes in her study. She was a very educational woman, and in fact was going through training to qualify as a professor for a wizarding school. She wanted to teach at Beauxbatons, since she went to school there, but Sirius was pushing her towards Hogwarts.

Lily walked with Laura to the bedroom she and Sirius slept in, and they had a shock coming to them when they saw Sirius sleeping in the bed. He didn't look very peaceful, all tangled up in the duvet. Laura sighed, distraught, and ignored him, walking right into the bathroom.

She nearly growled, "This is the third time this week that I've come home to him laying in bed."

"Laura, what are you doing?" Lily asked as her friend began to pack things like a comb, toothbrush and toothpaste into a small bag. She moved into the closet and pulled out a suitcase, piling clothes into it.

"I think I'm going to go stay with my father in Provence. Just for a while, just to—"

Her hands were caught by Sirius as she was about to close the suitcase. He growled in her ear, "What do you think you're doing?"

"Sirius, I—"

"You're not leaving."

"I have to."

Sirius said, "I won't let you."

"I'm leaving, Sirius, and that's final!" she cried, but he took the suitcase away and flung it across the room.

"You're not gonna leave, Laura!" he bellowed. He took her hands again and dragged her to the bed, sitting her down.

Lily, who had been watching in shock for the whole time, screeched, "Sirius, you've got to let her go!"

"Lily, you need to leave," Laura choked out. She wasn't crying yet, but looked close to tears.

"I'm not gonna leave you here with him, Laura."

"Leave, Lily!" Sirius yelled at her.

Lily stood her ground and said, "Don't tell me what to do, Sirius. Let her go, I'm not gonna leave her here with you, where you might seriously hurt her!"

Sirius stood there, shocked. He let go of Laura's hands at once, but his mouth was hanging open. He blinked a few times and then looked at his girlfriend, wanting to say something. However, he stormed off to the bathroom, slamming to door before anyone could say something.

Laura looked at Lily and shrugged, "I think you should go, Lils… I'll be okay."

Lily went over and gave her a brief hug before leaving their house. Laura walked timidly over to the bathroom door and knocked twice on the door.

"What?" Sirius bellowed, making Laura flinch.

"I… I'm sorry…"

She didn't know why she should be sorry, or what for. But he opened the door at that. His eyes were shining. Laura thought he might have been crying.

"Laura," he took her hands, "I'd never hurt you…"

"I know… Lily doesn't think so though. But I know you're… you're harmless."

He paused, "Do you?"

"I…"

"Laura… Are you frightened of me?"

She looked away from him, so he took her jaw firmly in his hand and made her look at him. "Ouch…" she muttered, turning her head away from his hand. She rubbed her chin. She stepped away from him, and he, looking horrified, walked back several steps as well.

"I just hurt you…" he whispered.

"No, you only—" her feeble protests weren't heard by him as he swept past her.

"Stay here; I don't want you leaving the house," he demanded, "Promise."

"I promise…"

"Okay, good," and with that, he Disapparated.

Laura sat on the bed, trying to think of what had just happened. Slowly, she went over and picked up her suitcase and all of her clothes. She put them back in the suitcase and latched it shut, but only put it by the door, untouched. After that, she wrote a short letter to her father in Provence.

_Father, I will be coming back home for a little bit. I'll leave and arrive by Apparition tomorrow. I don't know how long I'll be staying, but it won't be that long. I can't wait to be back home. -Laura_

She sent their owl with the letter immediately. She knew Sirius might not be back by the time she left. He'd probably be out all night. Where, she didn't know. She always asked, but he never answered with anything more than a grunt.

She wasn't sure if he was cheating on her with various bimbos or just getting smashed with his friends, or maybe even alone. She didn't know where he was, what he was doing (obviously drinking, since he reeked so much of booze whenever he came back).

She deserved to leave for a while. He didn't need her. Why should she stay? And who was he to tell her what to do? She could leave if she wanted, no matter what he said. And she didn't have to tell him where, since he never told her. If he wanted to have a bad attitude about everything, she'd play right back.

She went to the fireplace to Floo to the Potter's, but she figured she should check with them first. After saying the destination, she stuck her head into the green flames and saw at once the living room of the Potter home.

"Lily!" she called out, "James?"

Lily walked over, looking strange. She smiled at Laura and said, "Hey there…"

"What's wrong, Lils?" Laura asked, seeing the distraught look on her face. She seemed jumpy and sort of nervous.

"I… Nothing, I just have company. I really have to get going."

"Umm, okay… Will you come over after your company leaves? I'm lonely…"

"Yeah, I'll be right over. I think I'm gonna run into Sirius though, and—" Lily stopped abruptly.

"What was that?"

"I'd come over later," Lily answered, not looking at Laura.

"No, what'd you say about Sirius?"

"Nothing."

"You said you'd run into him? How, what do you know?"

"I've gotta go, bye!" and with that, Lily left the room.

Laura frowned, and as quietly as she could, extracted herself from the flames and the Flooed to the Potter home, emerging fully in the flames. She hoped it didn't make too much of a noise. She tiptoed to where she saw Lily run off to, which was the kitchen. She hid behind the door, because what she saw in there was shocking.

Lily was sitting with James and Sirius, and they were all drinking tea. Sirius looked beside himself and was talking about something in a hushed tone. She listened closely.

"I don't know…" Sirius said, "I think Laura's the one. She's so different from all the other girls."

Laura froze. She thought her heart stopped. She was surprised at that confession. Who would have thought?

"Well even if she's not, she's in the Order, one of my best friends…" Lily pointed out.

James spoke next, "Pads, I think you need to explore your feelings for Laura better. It doesn't seem like you've been treating her right."

"I know. I've been a terrible boyfriend to her. I can't count how many times I've hurt her."

"So you know you've hurt her?" Lily asked.

"She says I don't, but I know that I have… I feel horrible. How will she want to stay with me now?"

"Well what did you do?" James asked, "Where is she?"

"She's at home… I told her not to leave, and she said she wouldn't."

Lily sighed, "Well she probably has."

"I know. I told her that she couldn't leave to see her dad this weekend. I threw her suitcase across the room."

"I told James that whole story, Sirius," Lily said.

"Oh…"

"You just need to control your temper, mate." James said, "And you need to stop drinking so much."

"I know. That's probably the worst part, how I come in so late… I know she probably thinks I'm cheating on her or something. That I'm shagging someone else… Honestly, I'm not, I swear."

"You just drink alone?" Lily asked. Her voice was a bit surprised.

"Well, yeah…" Laura heard Sirius say. She felt somewhat relieved at that. At least there wasn't another woman (or women) in the picture.

"Then when do you get home?" James asked.

"In the early hours… I never spend time with her anymore."

"Well you should," Lily said, "You should eat meals with her and take her on dates and things like that. Be a good boyfriend. James and I have been together for quite a while and we still do that."

Sirius sighed, "I feel like a wretched person, especially compared to James. I mean, and know you two really have something special, but I think that Laura and I might have something too. She's so different. I think I love her."

"She loves you too," Lily began, "But such a beautiful woman doesn't deserve to be yelled at and screamed at, hurt all the time. Just look at her some time, Sirius. She's a wreck."

"I know she is. I think I'm gonna make it up to her… I just… I'm afraid she won't love me back after all of this."

Laura wanted to yell at him, "_Of course I do, you prat!"_ Of course, she couldn't, but she wanted to. She'd loved him for a while, even through the yelling and fights and late nights. She still did. She didn't want to lose him, but honestly… She didn't think she would be such a mess if she didn't actually love him. She wouldn't have stuck with him. She wouldn't be where she was if she wasn't committed.

"Just take a chance," James said.

"You've hurt her, Sirius," Lily said, "It's time to undo the harm."

"What if she left? What if I get back and she's packed up everything she has and left? She's probably sick of me now anyways… Most likely halfway to Provence, if not already there."

Laura almost sighed. She could feel tears welling up. Did he really have such little faith in her? But then again, other people would have expected her to, as well. She expected herself to. It made sense, but she couldn't ever bring herself to move out completely, even when she had most wanted to.

"Oh, Sirius," Lily sighed, "You just need to go back and see if she's there. If she's not… Well, she'll have to come back and see _me_ eventually. I hope… We'll get her, I swear."

"And remember to control your temper," James said, "Don't get angry. Try not to fight. Tell her how you feel."

"I have an idea," Lily said, "Take her on a romantic evening. Just do something special for her and tell her how much you love her."

"I will…" Sirius said, "I've got to get going now."

"Of course you do. Good luck, mate," James bid him. Laura heard the sound of him Disapparating and froze. She knew that he'd come home and she would be there. He'd be worried and angry… She had to get home, and she had to get home now.

She walked quietly over to their front door, and once she was out safely in the street of Godric's Hollow, she Disapparated. She wound up in the living room and saw Sirius on the couch, his head in his hands. He was weeping. His head shot up at the sound of her Apparating in, and he looked at her, his eyes very red.

"Laura…"

She sighed and sat down next to him. "Sirius, I… I love you."

He seemed shocked. He took her hands and kissed them, "I love you too."

"You do?" she asked weakly.

He nodded and leaned in. He kissed her very softly on the lips and she kissed back. He pulled away before the kiss could get too deep. "Love, why don't I take you to an early dinner? Any restaurant you'd like to go to."

She kissed his cheek and hugged him. He wrapped his arms loosely around her waist, trying not to hurt her. "That sounds great… Let me get ready."

He smiled and let go of her. While she showered, he cleaned up the flat, cleaning the dirty laundry, tidying up papers, making their bed and putting away all the dishes. When she got out of the shower, she smiled at him lovingly and thanked him.

He showered next and she got herself ready while she did, putting on her makeup and doing her hair. She began to tell him about how she sent a letter to her father and how she was going to go to Provence to see him.

"Do you want to come with?" she asked nonchalantly, "You could meet my family…"

It was a big step, but she was hoping he'd say yes. He got out of the shower then and started to dry off. He frowned, "Me? Meet your family? In Provence?"

"Yes, tomorrow… I understand if you don't want to, really…"

He went up to her and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. He was all dry and only wearing a towel around his waist. He kissed her cheek and said, "I would love to. I just wasn't sure if you wanted me to."

"Of course I do."

"Well I'm glad."

She smiled to herself when he turned away. "Great… So, I guess we'll leave tomorrow. We don't have to stay for that long, just the weekend maybe."

"That's just fine." Sirius said, "That's great… I can't wait." Laura couldn't hide her grin now. He saw it and smirked, "What are you smiling about?"

"I'm just… Happy."

Sirius smiled himself. He felt joyous inside to hear those words come from her mouth. It dawned on his that she had never actually told him she was happy. He gave her a hug, now that he was dressed. He kissed her lips, "That's…" he kissed her again, "fantastic."

Laura wrapped her arms tighter around him, "I love you so much, Sirius."

"I love you, too."


End file.
